Chapter Six: The First Battle, A Big Bang!

There are two ways to upgrade, each with its own advantages and disadvantages.

The first method is cost-effective and shows results quickly, with obvious advantages after upgrading.

The second method is more expensive and includes an electric device that can increase attack speed.

"Which one should I choose?"

Looking at the spear in front of him, Soma felt a bit hesitant.

Internally, he actually leaned towards the second option because being able to use an electric device in an era where everyone is still grinding stones would definitely be a qualitative leap.

However…

"I choose the first option!"

Soma remembered the description of the chameleon in the illustrated guide.

Although this mutated chameleon had increased camouflage, it sacrificed its mobility.

Compared to the attack speed gained from spending 40 points, the first option was clearly more cost-effective.

Moreover, if the electric device needed charging…

Currently, there wasn't even a ventilation duct in the base; to charge it, he would have to generate static electricity.

As Soma was thinking, the spear before him gradually changed color under the system's modification.

The wood was a mix of red and yellow, clearly indicating that the wooden spear had not been transformed into a metal or stone material.

[Cypress Wood Spear]: A brand new wooden spear with a delicate overall texture, its grain resembling floating swallows, strong as iron, and with considerable lethality.

"Is it really cypress wood!"

Seeing the attributes, Soma felt both surprised and delighted.

Cypress wood is known as one of the precious woods, a rare and excellent material for making cold weapons.

Compared to metal, this type of wood's toughness is even more valuable for someone without combat experience.

To evolve such a level of wood with just 5 survival points made Soma realize the power of the system once again.

"Now I just need a set of armor; I can't afford to get hurt out in the wild!"

Opening the trading panel, Soma began browsing.

On the second day of the apocalypse calendar, many people, forced by circumstances, had to venture into the wild to survive.

Although few found treasure chests, the trading panel still had some armor due to the billions of players.

"I don't have to buy the best; I have the system, maybe I can buy something to evolve later."

While assessing, Soma pondered quietly.

Currently, he had 100ml of water in stock, and by noon, he could probably save up to around 200ml.

With that amount of water, he could buy a somewhat old-fashioned and heavy ceramic plate armor in the market.

Ceramic plate armor might not be advantageous against large creatures, but it was decent against smaller ones due to the material.

After making up his mind, he waited until noon when the sun was at its hottest.

Soma first exchanged 200ml for the ceramic plate armor, then spent 50ml to buy 300g of bread.

After finishing the bread and drinking 50ml of water along with the remaining pear, Soma's status was completely restored.

Compared to the chameleon waiting on the dry ground, Soma's attack now perfectly embodied the core idea of "strike when the enemy is tired."

"Wait a bit longer, just a little more."

Taking out the monster guide and scanning to confirm the chameleon was still behind, Soma began to take out the armor.

Pieces of earthy yellow tiles were interwoven with unknown cotton threads, protecting the main body and legs according to their shape.

[Worn Ceramic Plate Armor]

Upgrade Option One: Improve defense, upgrade the ceramic material, strengthen overall strength, requires survival points (5 points).

Upgrade Option Two: Upgrade overall material, change plasticity; depending on the input materials, different outputs will be produced, direct upgrade requires survival points (60 points).

Evaluation: This armor should not be worn in battle; it would be better suited for a museum.

Following the usual practice, Soma chose Upgrade Option One again.

A flash of light.

The originally worn armor suddenly became lustrous, and a peculiar scent wafted from it.

[Hunter's Ceramic Plate Armor]: Excellent material, well-stitched, considerable defense, unique scent of hidden grass, can mask the hunter's scent.

After laboriously putting on the improved ceramic plate armor, Soma felt reassured.

The importance of weapons and armor in the apocalypse is self-evident.

"Now let's see where this beast will run!"

Opening the base door, holding the spear in both hands like holding a gun in a TV drama, Soma strode confidently towards the chameleon's location.

Yesterday's logging had made the bushes a mess.

Dried leaves covered the ground, obstructing the view and making it difficult to see the chameleon's exact position.

However, it didn't matter.

Silently calling for the monster guide to scan again, a line of prompts appeared.

[Detected a mutated camouflaged chameleon 19 meters away from the player, danger level 65, please handle with caution] [Today's attempts 0/3]

In his field of vision, Soma finally got a clear look at the chameleon's appearance for the first time.

It wasn't lying on the ground; this cunning chameleon was perched on the top of the first tree that hadn't been cut down.

If Soma failed to notice it today and cut down the tree, the chameleon would surely launch a sneak attack.

Finding the enemy, Soma held back his steps and pretended to be nonchalant.

"I don't know if this beast has intelligence, but being cautious is never a bad thing."

Slowly walking, he waited until he was about two meters away before Soma suddenly exploded into his maximum speed and charged towards the chameleon.

The cypress wood spear that had been dangling in his hand was raised and pointed straight ahead.

The chameleon on the tree seemed to realize that its camouflage had been exposed and hurriedly tried to adjust its position.

Unfortunately, its heavy reaction speed did not allow it to make any swift movements.

Charge, stab, turn!

A series of operations flowed smoothly!

Although it was his first attack and the accuracy wasn't high, the tip of the cypress wood spear still accurately pierced the chameleon's body.

Pull!

A spray of dark green blood was sent flying, splattering onto the bark below, emitting a burnt smell!

Seeing such a potent poison, Soma decisively withdrew the cypress wood spear.

The chameleon, with a gaping wound the size of a bowl, began to go wild in agony.

The continuous loss of blood had completely robbed it of its sanity, and it started attacking everything around it in fury.

Green venom sprayed from the chameleon's mouth, and within a three-meter radius, the scene was terrifying.

"Hiss… This venom is really fierce," Soma thought as he looked down and felt his scalp tingle.

The tip of the cypress wood spear was now covered in numerous pores, melting rapidly like ice meeting fire.

Silently placing the cypress wood spear aside, Soma once again used the game panel to create another wooden spear, spending 5 survival points to evolve it again.

After the evolution was completed, the other chameleon seemed to be completely exhausted.

It began to collapse on the ground, motionless, looking as if it were dead.

Soma, observing from a distance, raised his eyebrows and continued to wait patiently.

From the information gathered in the chat channel yesterday, it was said that killing monsters would definitely yield resource treasure chests.

If he hadn't seen this message, he might have foolishly gone in for a finishing blow.

Now that he knew, the chameleon's act of playing dead had become futile.

Sure enough, less than a minute later.

The chameleon on the ground, in a fit of rage, began to convulse, and after three to five seconds of continued spouting, it collapsed to the ground with a thud.

Seizing the opportunity, Soma threw the now-corroded cypress wood spear, which landed right beside the chameleon.

The dying chameleon tried to continue spraying venom.

However, when it raised its head and saw the wooden spear, it let out a mournful cry and fell heavily to the ground.

This time, the chameleon had no chance of survival.

At this moment, the green venom on the ground was rapidly disappearing, and along with the chameleon's corpse, a dazzling light burst forth. When the light faded, a silver treasure chest appeared on the spot!

"Is that a silver treasure chest? This time, I really struck it rich!"

Looking at the treasure chest before him, Soma felt ecstatic, almost wanting to rush over and see what was inside.